Ask a Stoner: Will CBD Products Show up in a Drug Test?

Will CBD trigger a positive result in a drug test for THC? The answer isn't cut and dried, but there are ways to avoid it.

By Herbert Fuego

August 24, 2017

Westword

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Dear Stoner: I use hemp CBD oil for stress and anxiety maybe once or twice a month. The CBD contains 0.04 percent THC, and I am worried it will show up in a drug test I took a week ago. Will I pass?
George

Dear George: CBD shouldn’t trigger a positive result on a drug test, because the only cannabinoid those test for is THC. As you note, though, all CBD products originated from a plant with at least some trace of THC, even if it’s just 0.04 percent. That 0.04 THC percentage wouldn’t come up on a drug test if you smoked the raw plant material, but concentrating it can make things tricky. Consuming unusually large dosages of CBD, such as 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams per day, could theoretically trigger a positive for THC on a urine test, according to CBD product manufacturer PlusCBD Oil — but that would be a false positive.
Certain cannabinoids can trigger false positives during an initial urinary screening in rare circumstances, but confirmatory testing would prove the result to be inaccurate after more analysis of the cannabinoids. Studies also show that daily dosages of three to five servings of CBD products containing 0.5 milligrams of THC could cause a positive result, but at less than a 0.2 percent rate.

Have a question for our Stoner? Email [email protected].

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